Devising Parametric User Models for Processing and Analysing Social Media Data to Influence User Behaviour: Using Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Social Media Data

Abstract

Academia is often plagued with those who define themselves by whether they are “quantitative” or “qualitative.” This chapter contests that when it comes to researching social media the two are inseparable in datafying user generated content. Posts on Twitter for instance have a textual element to the narratives that could be considered qualitative, but also quantitative criteria can be applied. Interviewing approaches can allow for the exploration of discourses to produce new theories, which may then rely of those approaches commonly thought of as quantitative. This chapter tests out a variety of different approaches to show how it is only through using all approaches available can social media be triangulated to produce accurate modelling of user behaviour.